Reliance Group seeks 16 more defence manufacturing licences

Thu, Dec 03, 2015, 02:04 PM

Mumbai, Dec 3: Going overdrive in the defence manufacturing space, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has applied for as many as 16 more licences in areas ranging from missiles to radar, barely two weeks after it got conditional nod for 12 requests to make aircraft, choppers and more.

"We have applied for these industrial licenses to manufacture defence equipment and hardware such as heavy weapons, ammunition, explosives, missiles, small arms, electronic warfare, armoured and amphibious vehicles, radars and unmanned systems," an informed source said.

"The new facilities to come up in Gujarat and Maharashtra in a phased manner," the source added, requesting anonymity, since he was not authorised to speak to the media. "Once these 28 licenses are in place, we will create tens-of-thousands of thousands of highly skilled jobs."

Late last month, the government had approved conditionally 12 licences for the Reliance Group in this this area. These were part of approvals for 32 similar applications from other stakeholders, as per the list put up by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.